Come Hell or High Water
by Louis Rene
Summary: New Batch Part Two. It's been a year since Matt's death. Leah and Logan have spent their time hiding in Ireland. M for adult situations.
1. Chapter 1

Here we are. The next installment of A New Batch. Enjoy.

And Matt fans, relax before you stop reading my stuff.

* * *

LEAH'S POV

Ien sat across from me, sipping his tea. "So. You two have been here for almost a year?"

I nodded. "We left the day after…" I trailed off. "Well. You know."

"I'm sorry, hon. It's probably good you took this time away from the X-Men. Your idea, I assume?" He asked.

"No, actually it was Logan's. I didn't have time to make a decision. He just said 'We're leaving' and that was it."

"He's been through the same thing. If there is one person on Earth that knows how it feels to lose a love in battle, it's him."

I looked over at the clock. "I better get back and get ready for work."

"Well I'll be here for a few more days. The two of you should come by and have dinner."

I chuckled. "You just like when the Logans bicker, huh?"

His normal, evil smile returned. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I stood and kissed his cheek. "Yeah, yeah. Sure you don't. Bye, hon."

The road back to Moira's normally unused summer home was beautiful. The Irish sky may have been cloudy but it made the country seem even greener. My bike sped down the roads and to the hill the small, yet gorgeous house stood. I walked in and found a note on the table.

"Hope you had fun with your fairy friend. See you at the pub."

I smiled and went upstairs to change. As I walked down to grab an apple, I heard the phone ring. I picked it up. "Yello?"

"Leah." Xavier's voice felt foreign. "Logan forbade me from calling but I think enough time has passed."

"Indeed it has, Professor. Wait. Logan told you not to call?"

"He threatened all of us to leave you alone for a while."

"What a putz."

"Anyway. I was wondering how you were. Are you enjoying Ireland?" He asked.

"I love it." I said, opening the fridge and retrieving my treat.

"How are you paying for food?"

"Well Logan offered to pay for everything but I got bored and now I work at a local pub. It's nice. The clientele get a bit rowdy but Logan watches out for me."

"Of course he does."

"But mostly, we've gone sightseeing. The Kilarney National Forest isn't far so I'm still keeping with my training."

There was a pause. "So how have you been coping with…"

"It comes in waves. Some days are good. Others, not so good."

"You two know when you're coming back?"

"We haven't discussed it yet. But I have to go. I have work. But I'll call you tomorrow. We can talk more then."

"Alright. I'll speak with you later. Good bye, Leah."

"Bye, Professor."

The line went dead and I felt my heart sink a little. Logan and I talked about Matt rather freely, but he was the only one I confided my thoughts to.

LOGAN'S POV

I sat with Pat, Rick and Marty at the bar, sipping my drink. Leah went to see Ien and I didn't argue. They were close and she always seemed cheerier after spending time with him. She was due for work pretty soon and I looked forward to a nice tall drink and watching her under the pretence of protecting her. She didn't need my protection much anymore. She was getting faster and stronger with every training session I put her through. It was a way for her to get out her lingering aggression and it helped with her powers. She could now shrink other, larger objects.

The bar door opened and I heard the whooping of the other men as the object of my heart walked in. I didn't blame them. She had lost the rest of her baby fat and was now even curvier. Her hair grew to her shoulders and she seemed to keep it that length.

She walked behind the bar and I smiled at her. "Finally! Someone who knows how to make a proper whiskey sour." I joked.

The bartender, Billy, scowled. "You'll drink me into the ground, boyo."

She pulled down the whiskey and poured it into a tall glass before handing it to me. "Try not to embarrass yourself this time." She said, referring to the night I decided to join in with the songs.

"Hey, I was only trying to cheer you up." I retorted.

"You cheered up everyone with that."

Her shift was short and after four hours of it, she clocked out and joined me at the table that we acquired before the rush. She sat next to me with her drink.

"Billy set you free?" I asked.

"Yup. Good tips today, too." She turned to the men at the bar and said, "Thanks, boys!" in her sweet tone before winking at them. They raised their glasses to her.

"The influence you have over drunken men is astonishing." I teased.

"I'd say the same for you."

The boys laughed heartily before Pat spoke up. "You know, little one, we were just discussing you."

"Oh Patrick, you dog. You're married. How many times must I remind you?"

He chuckled. "We were just asking Logan here why he hasn't knocked your boots around, yet."

I looked at her sheepishly. "I'm sorry." I said quietly.

She drained her glass and stood. "You know, boys; I've been wondering the exact same thing."

The table was quiet as she walked out the door.

Marty looked up at me and smiled. "If that wasn't an invitation, boy, I don't know what is."

I stared at her chair for a second before getting up and walking out.


	2. Chapter 2

LOGAN'S POV

The ride from the pub to what has been our home for a year felt like an eternity. The sky opened and there was a slight drizzle as I followed the taillight of the purple motorcycle with some distance. The sun was hidden and the fog was setting on the rolling hills.

When I finally pulled up the driveway, her bike was already off and abandoned. The foyer light was on. Not sure of what I'd do, I walked through the front door and snapped it shut. She could have been making a joke. She liked to tease.

Leah was taking off her helmet and turned to look at me. I was already there, hand behind her head. My other arm wrapped around her waist and I pulled her into the long awaited kiss I had been dying to give her.

When I pulled away, I looked down at her. Her cheeks had reddened, her lips swollen and her eyes shut. My heart stopped, wondering if I had made the biggest mistake in our friendship. But her eyes opened hazily and she regarded me in a way she never had. It was as if she looked relieved but there was a glint of a dark mischievousness in her eyes.

She smirked and pulled me closer into another kiss. I managed a strained "Ohthankgod!" before my lips crashed against hers.

I hoisted her legs up around my waist and carried her to the closest bedroom, never breaking our contact. She had me.

I sat with my back against the headboard, running my fingers through her blond hair. She was snoozing quietly on my lap and I was content with letting her rest.

I looked over at the clock. It was close to three in the morning. So it should be only ten at Xavier's. I grabbed the cordless phone and dialed. It rang a few times before hitting a voicemail. "Leave a message." Was all I heard in the calm, female voice. It beeped and I sucked in a breath. "Kid, it's me. I'll call back in five minutes. You better pick it up this time."

I hung up the phone, irritated. Leah stirred softly and I froze, not wanting to wake her but she ended up snuggling into my stomach and her nearly inaudible snoring resumed. I breathed a sigh of relief as the phone rang.

I picked it up quickly. "Hey."

"Logan. Isn't it like three over there?" Laura X asked me.

"Yeah. Couldn't sleep."

"So you decide when you're randomly bored or can't sleep to call me?"

I sighed. "Listen, kid. It's been a tough year."

"Oh yeah." Came the sarcastic reply. "I'm sure putzing around Ireland with a hot chick for a year is really tough."

"You'd be surprised when you're in love with said 'hot chick' and can't do anything about it."

"I'm sure you haven't."

"Actually…"

There was a pause. "Logan. Did you and Leah…"

"Yes."

Another pause. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"How was it?"

I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it for a moment before returning it. "Why on Earth would I tell you? That's just weird, Laura."

"I'm just curious. She's cute." She replied nonchalantly. "And besides, she hits on me every time I see her."

"That's because you look like me and you have boobs. That's a dream come true for her."

"Well, I'm not complaining."

"Don't do that."

She chuckled softly. "Afraid I'll whisk your girl away from you?"

"Laura." I said seriously.

"Fine. I'm assuming you want to know what I think. Well I think you should go to sleep and relax. Enjoy the fact that she's near you. I really can't help you on this front."

I sighed. "I know. I just needed to talk to someone about it."

"Or someone to gloat to." She said.

"Oh shut up."

"She is pretty hot."

"Bye, kid."

"Bye."

Click.

I stared down at the sleeping Leah and knew that Laura was right. I should get some sleep. I could hash this out in the morning.

I woke up in the late morning, stretching. I felt great; refreshed, actually. I looked over to where Leah should have been and my heart sank. She wasn't there. Was it a dream?


	3. Chapter 3

The moment I caught a different scent in the room, I wished I was dreaming at that moment. Victor's heavy, masculine scent was unmistakable. It lingered in the room and I swore, pissed I hadn't caught it while I was asleep.

I shot out of bed and grabbed a pair of jeans. I ran downstairs and out the door. My truck was gone. That bastard stole my girl and my truck. I ran back inside seeing if he had left a note or anything. Sure enough, there was a message scratched into the table.

"She's gotten cuter. Can't wait to try her on."

I stared at the note in horror. He wouldn't. He couldn't. _What the hell am I thinking, of course he would!_

I ran back outside and hopped on my bike, following the scent of my truck's exhaust.

I ended up at the forest, near the lake. The truck was sitting in one of the random ditches in the road Ireland was known for. I turned off my bike and sniffed the air. He was close.

I ran through the trees, trying to move as quickly as I could. Last time he had his claws on Leah, he had beaten her. This time was different. He knew what we had done last night. It was written all over the room. This time, he'd take it a step further.

Sure enough, I came up onto the lake's front to a boulder that we had once used for training. She was lying there, naked, bound at the hands. I ran over to her and gingerly turned her onto her side. She looked up at me, tears in her eyes.

"Logan?" She asked weakly.

The side of her face was scratched up by the boulder's rough surface. She had bruises on her thighs and waist and there was a bit of blood from between her legs.

I felt the anger burning in me like a thousand suns and stood up, searching for that evil bastard. He was gone. I could have followed him. His scent still lingered in the air. I could have caught up with him within hours and slaughtered him.

But I had someone to take care of right now. I knelt back down and checked to see if she had broken anything. She whimpered and curled up away from me.

"Leah, it's me. I'm not going to hurt you." I said softly.

She relaxed a little and I found nothing that needed a brace so I scooped her up and carried her to the truck. I cursed myself for letting her get hurt again. It had been a while since I had taken interest in a younger girl. My tastes generally lie with women in their thirties. But Leah was only twenty-two. I forgot how fragile youth could make a person.

And now I had a broken, kind yet spunky girl curled up naked in my truck after being attacked by a monster. When I arrived at the house, I carried her inside. She had fallen asleep on the ride and I didn't blame her.

But then I experienced a scent upon entering that I hadn't smelt in a while.

"You're with her one day and she's already hurt."

I watched in disbelief and complete shock as Matt stepped out of the shadow of the stairs.

"You look surprised."

"You're dead." I said bluntly, still dumbfounded.

"Yeah, you _wish_ I were dead." He smirked. He'd gotten thicker and his facial hair was fuller than I remembered it.

"I saw you. You were shot."

"Yeah. I did get shot. Hurts like a bitch, by the way. But I kind of lingered in the shadow world long enough for the wound to heal."

"So if you can make it into your little 'alternate dimension' before actually dying, you can heal?"

"Takes a while but basically, yeah. To be honest, I didn't know that would happen. But it did. But what I could do was watch the real world. Took me a month to figure out where you went. I couldn't move for a while. But I found that purple haired gay guy and he found out where you were."

"So you've been spying on us for a year?"

He nodded. "Yup."

"So now you're here to tell me its over. You're back and you're going to take her back?" I asked, getting a little pissed now that I was over the shock of it.

"That's up to her. If she wants to stay with you, she will." He maintained his cool pretty well. If he was hurt or angry, he didn't show it.

"And you'd just walk away?"

He didn't answer. He only looked down at Leah and then back up at me. His face was serious. "I'm leaving right now. I won't be back for three months. So you have three months. You aren't to tell her that I'm back. I want her to know when I can talk to her. And I can't right now."

"What's so important that you can't talk to her now?" I asked.

"If you tell her, I'll make you pay. I mean it. I know how to hurt you, Logan. It's not as complicated as people seem to think. I'm giving you a chance here."

"You seem confident."

He smirked again. "What makes me confident is how not confident you seem."

He was gone. Damn it. That little punk ass was going to pay.


End file.
